Israeli Forces Shoot Dead Palestinian Teenager in West Bank Refugee Camp
The official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that a large number of Israeli troops, backed by two military bulldozers, stormed the camp, located three kilometers (1.8 miles) east of Tulkarm, in the early hours of the day.
The sources added that Israeli forces were stationed in the al-Mahjar neighborhood, and snipers were positioned on the rooftops of houses and buildings overlooking the camp, before violent confrontations broke out.
Israeli troops reportedly fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters at young Palestinian men, and also destroyed the main street adjacent to the entrance to the camp as well as several vehicles parked in the area.
Palestinian medical officials identified the teenager as 19-year-old Ayed Samih Abu Harb, who was killed when fierce exchanges of gunfire broke out between Palestinian resistance fighters and Israeli troops in the camp.
Another Palestinian was also critically wounded during the Israeli army aggression and was taken to a nearby hospital to receive medical treatment.
The raid comes amid a sharp uptick in deadly Israeli military raids as well as settler violence against Palestinians.
Almost every day, Israeli forces carry out incursions into various cities of the West Bank, claiming to be searching for "wanted" Palestinians. These operations often escalate into violent clashes with local residents.
More than 200 Palestinians have been killed this year in the occupied Palestinian territories and Gaza. The majority of these tragic fatalities occurred in the West Bank. These distressing statistics make 2023 the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the United Nations began monitoring such casualties in 2005.
To put this into perspective, the previous year, 2022, had already been a harrowing record, with 150 Palestinians killed, including 33 minors, according to the data provided by the United Nations.
Source: Agencies
